It “rained stars” at D23 Expo 2022: Lucasfilm and Marvel competed with famous actors on stage

As previously reported, Playtech.ro’s editorial staff was “in the thick of the action” at the biggest event of the moment, D23 Expo 2022, designed to pay the grandest possible tribute to the legacy of the one and only Walt Disney, as well as to the somewhat newer third parties.

You may already know that Disney initially operated on its own, and was later joined by Pixar. Meanwhile, the Star Wars phenomenon has also entered the family.

In fact, it’s safe to say that both Star Wars and Indiana Jones changed the world, and the good news is that these pillars of entertainment are now under the Disney umbrella.

Harrison Ford, Tom Hiddleston or Christian Slater, here are just a few of the famous actors who took the D23 stage and whom we got to see live

Kathy Kennedy spoke on the panel about Lucasfilm but also about how in 2019 she had the honor of presenting The Mandalorian for the first time.

So you have every reason to rejoice: in about 10 days, Andor, the long-awaited series based on Rogue One, launches. The first 12 episodes debut soon, since the next installment will begin filming soon, Kennedy also announced.

To mark the new release, Genevieve O’Reilly and Diego Luna were present “in the flesh” at D23: “It’s been a beautiful journey. I had the chance to be here from the beginning. We work with the best people. It’s about a lot of rigour and dedication. It’s a gigantic film. I know what every decision means. I’m ready for the new adventure and I didn’t come empty-handed, I came with the final trailer. This is the first time it will be released for viewing,” said Diego Luna.

21 September is the date when the first 3 episodes will be released simultaneously.

And as the Wars world is a vast one, the event was even marked by a return to the forefront of another classic story.

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, George was creating Willow, and he was doing it right before Wars. Christian Slater made a point of being present in Anaheim, for obvious reasons. “We had an interesting character, we improvised a lot, and we had fun while we did it,” Slater said.

Willow releases on November 30 and you can see it on Disney+. Last but not least, the news of the night is that Indiana Jones returns next summer with new adventures up his sleeve. Obviously, the ceremony couldn’t have missed Harrison “Indi” Ford himself.

Marvel has held on as tight as Lucasfilm

On the other hand, Marvel didn’t let up either, bringing the incomparable Angela Bassett to the stage to present the exclusive trailer for the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Marvel went on to brag later (and rightly so) about the new Ironheart, only to have Paul Rudd’s Antman staffer take the spotlight later. As the actor was even called “the sexiest man alive” on stage, he couldn’t help himself and growled to the audience, “How does it feel to be the sexiest audience alive?” (translation: How does it feel to be the sexiest audience alive?). Antman vs Wasp will be released on 17 February 2023.

The Hallowen special Werewolf by Night releases on October 7, and the first trailer was officially unveiled also at D23, naturally.

The icing on the Marvel cake was Tom Hiddleston’s arrival on stage. Extremely charismatic, the actor introduced the second season of Loki now filming in the UK, as he himself confessed.